Be Optimistic and Keep Moving: Dick Van Dyke Shares Secrets of Going Strong at 97

Jul 05, 2019 by apost team

Fresh off of his performance in “Mary Poppins Returns” in 2018, veteran entertainer Dick Van Dyke is still working, moving, and enjoying life with all the zest of his younger years.

Some advice from the long-time actor, singer, and dancer? Don’t get hit by a bus, but also, exercise, love what you do and have a good attitude.

The actor spoke with Closer Weekly about aging and what fuels his longevity: “I’ve been one of those lucky people that got to do something for a living that he would have done for nothing. That’s why I’m still here — They can’t get me off the stage.” Van Dyke has always been a mover, a doer, and even a shaker. He credits his commitment to exercise and movement for his ability to tap-dance through his 90s.

But, just like the rest of us - he doesn’t always feel like going to the gym but goes because he knows it’s good for him. “I’ve always been an exerciser and still am,” the actor said. Despite struggling with arthritis, Van Dyke says, “I go to the gym three days a week, get in the pool and exercise. At my age, they say to keep moving. Put me on solid ground and I’ll start tapping!“ He says it’s better to do it poorly than not at all.

apost.com

Van Dyke recommends enjoying what you do, but when it becomes too much for your body to handle, let it go. “I can’t handle the tennis court anymore,” Van Dyke said of one activity he no longer does. “I can still run and dance and sing.” In a 2015 interview with NPR, then aged 89, Van Dyke addressed the topic of aging, giving seniors tips on how optimism and physical movement play essential roles in living a happy winter season.

“It’s more in my nature to be optimistic, I think,” Van Dyke told NPR. “I’m one of those people who gets up on the right side of the bed in the morning. I get up and have a cup of coffee and go to the gym because I talk myself out of it because I will as anybody will.”

He wishes he would not have spent so much of his life smoking and drinking and has come to terms with the fact that he cannot do it all like he used to.

“The point is to enjoy,” the actor said. “You have to pick what you enjoy doing, what fulfills you, what interests you.” Currently, Van Dyke is slated to play a starring role in a comedy titled “Capture the Flag” about elderly military veterans who compete to raise the flag every day in their community.

It seems Dick Van Dyke is just as cheery off-screen as he is on-screen entertaining audiences. What points from his advice on aging will you take?